#curbstcmping

               The halloween party he had been dragged to had, admittedly, been dragging. He had lost sight of the friends who had dragged him here, and had done all of the activities there was to do that he wanted to do. He had even been planning on leaving the home hosting the party when he had bumped into Seth, meeting the man and finding something, at least, to stick around for. Spending the past hour with the opposite man, Roman found himself relaxing and loosening up, drinking a little more alcohol than he prefers and most importantly, having actual fun, instead of feeling like he was being dragged out for nothing.

               Kissing Colby back, Leighla broke away from him with a grin on her face shortly afterwards, slapping him playfully against the chest as she shakes her head. She never mentioned to him earlier on in the day that she had bought pumpkins for this exact reason at the store when she was out earlier, wanting it to be surprise, and she knew he would give into her eventually -- though she had some doubts, but she was thankful, nonetheless, that he had agreed to paint pumpkins with her even though they had both been busy doing their own thing.

               Joe tilts his head upwards a tiny bit, small smile on his face as he shakes his head briefly. While he had chosen the movie just by the title alone, Joe found himself unable to focus, unwilling to focus with Colby pressing his face into the crook of his shoulder, distracting Joe from the television in front of them as it made Joe simply want to turn around and make out with the younger man. He feels like a teenager again, he can admit, but with more experience and knowledge and regrets, and one of his main regrets is going too fast with Colby and letting things implode with him when they did, which is why he’s trying so damn hard to control himself, to not let things get out of hand.

               The past few months had been - thrilling, he could admit. Getting to marry Colby, it had been everything he thought it could be and more, and if there was one thing the Samoan couldn’t get enough of, it sure as hell was most definitely his husband - just calling him that sent a thrill up Joe’s spine, caused him to shudder in happiness and look at Colby with wide eyes, eyes filled with love. He wouldn’t change anything in his life, he knows, but right now, with Colby being sex starved (understandably so, since all Joe wanted to do was take his husband home and never let him leave their bed) - it was like there was never a break (which Joe also didn’t mind, but there was a time and a place and -- well, sex in public was interesting, but...)

               Leighla continued to scowl as Colby continued to test the spirits of the blessed holiday by continuously walking under ladders, past black cats and even jokingly breaking a hand held mirror. She had no idea why he kept testing the fates this way, but Leighla tried her hardest to forget abut what her boyfriend was doing and hand out candy each time their doorbell rang. As the night wore on though, she could hear low rumbles of thunder and see faraway flashes of lightning, and something eventually settled into the pit of her stomach.

SO YOU WANT JAMIE TO WRITE YOU SOMETHING

               Joe let out a small, frustrated groan as he watched the television backstage, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose as laughter rang out throughout the crowd. A large part of him wanted to interrupt the segment, wanted to remove people from laughing at the flirting going on throughout, but he knew if he did that, his boss would have his hide, and so would Colby. A small frown makes its way onto his face, and Joe finds himself wondering, unable to stop the intrusive thoughts from making their way to the forefront of his mind. Biting on his lower lip, Joe turns the television off, sitting down in the chair behind him and dropping his head back, wondering – Is there a reason why Colby doesn’t want to go out into the world with their relationship? Is he ashamed of them? Does he plan on not letting their relationship go on much longer? Is he – oh god, is he not faithful? The next thought causes Joe to frown even more, and he’s not sure how he can handle it, not sure if he could handle the idea of Colby spending his nights with other men, or women, though the flirting he saw on the television sure as hell didn’t help his emotions and thoughts, even if it was scripted.

               Letting out another breath of frustration, the Samoan runs his fingers through his hair, untying it from his bun before detangling the web of strands with his fingers. His knee slowly begins to rock up and down as he tries to think of something, anything, to get rid of the insecurities going through his mind. He knows he won’t be able to until Colby finds him, but he doesn’t know how long that’s going to take, doesn’t know how many segments the younger man has, doesn’t know anything in regards to the two of them, and it’s something that bugs Joe so damn much, especially since Christmas is coming up. Roughly shaking his head, Joe stands up and scowls, turning the television back on and crossing his arms in front of him, not sure why he plans on subjecting himself to this torture of wondering if Colby is flirting back with the person opposite him or not.

               Joe knows jealousy doesn’t become him, but with a soft sigh, he wonders what he could possibly do about it. He should probably talk to Colby, but every damn time the older man brings up telling their friends, their coworkers, their family, he gets shut down and Joe doesn’t - his heart aches every single time, to the point where he doesn’t know if he wants to keep trying, to keep his heart continuously breaking. When the segment finally ends, and the show goes to a commercial, Joe sits back down and looks at the floor, his feet, his title, thankful he still has it, but with a frown on his face. He hears the door open, sees Colby’s feet in front of his and isn’t surprised when he realizes Colby is kneeling down in front of him, eyes furrowed.

               “What’s wrong?” Joe hears, and he only shakes his head before tightening his shoulders and straightening his back, smiling tightly at Colby. “You were good out there,” he responds, standing up and turning off the television, once more, knowing he’s done for the night and can go home, especially with Colby done for the night. Whether or not Colby joins him, Joe doesn’t know and for the moment, he doesn’t want to know. He knows Colby is confused but he doesn’t say anything, continuing to look around for the things he needs to leave before stopping in front of Colby when his arm is grabbed.

               “I - it’s fine,” Joe whispers, shrugging, not sure what else he can say, what else there is to say, especially since he doesn’t want to start another fight with Colby, as that’s where this always leads. “I’m just… I’m exhausted, Colbs. I’m exhausted of fighting with you about wanting to tell people we’re together. I’m exhausted of feeling insecure in this relationship, if it can even be called that. I’m exhausted of feeling like this is so one-sided,” he whispers, looking away and hunching in on himself. He opens and closes his mouth, not sure what else he can add, before stepping towards the door.